Description

Want to climb the Needle's Eye runout when you are pumped? Then this is your route... Start down and right of the traditional start of the Needle's Eye, climbing over a bulge via an undercling and a thin crack, to and end, to a bolt, then past a seam up and right to a groove and then left to a flake and gear. The runout above the bolt is noteworthy, but the crux is down low. Small but good stoppers are available through the crux up to the bolt, but are pumpy to place.

Location

Just down and right from the first pitch of the standard Needle's Eye route. A discontinuous crack with a bolt 30 feet up is the line.

Protection

A standard light rack to 1.5" plus gear to finish on the standard Needle's Eye route.

One of the scarier climbs I've done. Well protected crux low, a flake/crack to take as much as you want to stuff in it (still relatively low), and then a long run out to pins in a horizontal crack. Yikes. Test the cobblestones before you yard on 'em.

Crux at the start can be protected by small nuts or a yellow TCU. There is a bolt at the end of the crack. There is also a nut placement after the bolt but before the flake. The horizontal traverse up top can also be protected by placing a medium sized cam (#1 or 2 BD) or large nut in the crack behind the arete (on your left). The pins themselves can be protected/backed up with a silver and purple TCUs, respectively. From the horizontal, you can go straight up the water groove, which is what I did. Or head a bit right and go up the nobs/crysals. John Biddick said that the water groove is the harder variation. And, lastly, be ready for a large audience and a big applause when you reach the top!

It isn't a "route," it is a direct start to the regular route. We considered it in 1964, but at that time placing a bolt with aid wasn't an option. It isn't "unnamed," because it is the Fenton direct start. It joins the regular route at a ledge. You can sit on that ledge all day and recover, so the suggestion that you have to do the 5.8 upper section pumped is very misleading.